Still doing well

Well quick update:
Drew is doing GREAT! He went down to one liter of oxygen last week and did great. Today he went to room air. Amazing. The doctors are very happy with his progress but concerned about his weight gain. He weights 3 pounds 6 ounces and needs to weight 4 pounds 5 ounces before they can reconnect his intestines. It is common for people with stoma's to have trouble adsorbing food because it is in the intestines long enough. It has been nice for us because we have been able to hold Drew and bond with him. He has a great little personality, so alert, attentive, and happy. He smirks a lot and smiles showing off his very cute dimples. He loves his Binky and can hold it in all by his self. For all he has gone through he is very content holding his hands together and listening to the voices of his favorite nurses. Go Poo Go!
Brody is huge. He has no problem growing at all. At 35 weeks he is 5 pounds and 6 ounces. He is eating a whole bottle when he is feed it twice a day. He has been breastfeeding and latches right on. Brody is still on one liter and doing well. Mercy is trying to get him off. Brody has weekly eye exams since he has been in the NICU. They are tracking the growth of the eye due to the prematurity and the oxygen that has been provided to assist in breathing. They will need to do eye surgery this week or next week to help the direct the blood vessels in the right areas and prevent the eyes from going blind. This is pretty routine procedure that is common in micro preemies. Brody is doing well and could be coming home in a couple of weeks and by the looks of it if Drew didn't need another surgery her would have been to. Can't wait to get them home but very scary at the sametime.

Baby Steps

Well both boys are making baby steps in the right direction at 34 weeks gestation and 9 weeks old. Drew has recovered from a pic line infiltration that caused a large amount of fluid to accumulate around his lungs. A chest tube was placed for a few days later he no longer needed it and it was removed. We sure could tell he felt better after all the fluid was drained. Drew is off the vent (breathing tube) and placed on a nasal cannula. We are both very happy to have him off the vent because it is a step in the right direction and we get to hold lil Poo. He is slowly getting the tubes removed because he is moving in a positive direction. Drew is being feed full feeds at 32cc and doing really well with that. The breast milk is agreeing with Drew's gut issues and he is passing stool well. Drew weighs 3 pounds and 7 ounces.
Brody is huge! Well he weighs 4 pounds 12.5 ounces. He is also on full feeds at 42cc. Brody has been drinking a bottle a couple times a day and breastfeeding. Brody graduated from the isolette to a big boy crib. Weekly the boys eyes are tested to make sure they are developing correctly. Brody may need a routine eye surgery to allow his eye vessels to develop correctly. It is really strange but on more than one occasion they have mentioned that Brody may come home in a few weeks. So weird, and really scary to think we will two of our kids at home under the same roof and one still in the hospital.
The boys make us feel like we can do anything we are very proud of how hard they have worked to be with us.

Brody

Well Brody has been a really good boy lately! He is twin A and the one that wanted out so bad. He really shoud have discussed this with his brother. Brody has proven that he was ready by not needing one surgery in two months. I no way is he out of the wood but we acknowloge his progress. It amazes us how different the boys roads have been.
While talking to Brody he felt that he need his own post. Brody is 3 pounds and 13 ounces. He is still on full feeds and 20 calorie added. He loves to be held and snuggled. He was just moved up to a bigger binkie. He is currently 32 weeks and in the next couple of weeks he will be getting ready to nipple feed. They will start by putting a couple of drops of milk on a binkie. He love his binkie! Very proud of BOO and how hard he has worked.

Drew Poo

We have been asked a lot lately to update the blog in regards to Drew and his status. The truth is we don't really know anything. We have been told that he doesn't have NEC and he doesn't have any strictures. UCD has irrigated his stoma a couple times and they were able to pull out rock hard stool. He seems to be feeling a little better. He has a staph infection that is being maintained. Why the stool is backing up we just don't know.

Back at UCD

Well we just got a call from the resident at UCD, Tuzdy (yes people that is pronouced Tues-dee). She does NOT in fact beleive that Poo has NEC, although they are still watching him with a series of x-rays and holding his feeds, and he is back on the vent. BOO! But they actually think he has an ileus. They are not sure yet and they will continue to watch him but an ileus would be more favorable diagnois than NEC. He is still not out of the woods as she put it. Our lil guy has been through so much and we are really hoping that it isn't NEC. Drew Steven, you are a a miracle and you give us all strength!

Big Sister COO

Thought that we would do a post about the boys wonderful big sister, COO. She is such a proud big sister. When the boys were in Mamma's belly she would point and say "Bebbies" and give them lots of love. Then Amber went in to the hospital for 21 days and things were very confusing for her. She would get very excited to go to the hospital to see Amber, but very mad when Amber couldn't pick her up or do anything with her. She really missed her Momma! She still asks about the babies and actually thinks that they are living in Amber's phone. (because that is where we show her pictures of her brothers) We are very proud of our Carleigh girl. She has had to be juggled around and watched by so many different people. (thank you everyone) But despite all that she is still been our happy girl. She brightens our spirits even on the worst days. I don't know how she knows but the bad days are her most loving and sweet. Her four legged brother and sisters are not so perceptive and go and roll in the dirt. We know that she will have many more adjustments when the boys come home but we don't doubt that she will be a wonderful big sister. Mamma's are very proud of our Coo, Poo and Boo. It is really hard to believe after struggling with infertility for 18 months that we now have 3 beautiful children together. We are truly blessed to have them and each other!

Pissed!

This picture was taken on the first day that Amber held both boys together. I certainly don't want to speak for her, but I think it is safe to say she was overwhelmed with love! Too bad this won't be happening again any time soon.

After a week of our sons being together us getting to hold both boys and being so happy we got bad new tonight. Drew has NEC again (necrotizing enterocolitis). He was tranferred back to UCD. He is on watch and may have to have surgery again we are not sure. I guess he was pretty sick today. We are so upset. This little man has been through so much and it just doesn't end. UCD is really the best place for him if he does, in fact have to have surgery again it just makes things super hard for us to juggle things around. On the bright side, he is on a regular nasal cannula and doing well. He weighs 3 lbs, 5 0z.

Brody continues to do well. He is growing and growing. He weighs just over 3 lbs. Not much to report on his end, which is good.